A beleaguered Olaf Scholz launches a diplomatic offensive

THEY WERENATOMPDCEU not the sort of headlines any leader would hope to read. “Germany, ’s weakest link,” said the . “The ‘invisible’ chancellor heads to Washington amid fierce criticism,” offered the . As Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s border and the West fumbled for a response, Olaf Scholz, Germany’s new chancellor, stood accused by allies of being missing in action. At home Germans concerned by his reluctance to enter domestic debates detected a pattern. “Our image has been seriously damaged abroad,” says Johann Wadephul, an from the opposition Christian Democrats.With criticism mounting, Mr Scholz has belatedly sprung into action. On February 7th he visited Joe Biden in Washington, . He hosted half a dozen leaders in Berlin this week, and on February 14th and 15th will travel to Kyiv and then Moscow for his first meeting with Vladimir Putin. Officials do not expect this sudden burst of diplomacy to bring immediate results. But it shows a sensitivity to allies’ demands for German action.